The Journey: Chapter Two
by thatbunneegirl
Summary: Ophelia, having just met her friend who left a year ago, was promised that he would meet her after her shift at her grandparent's diner. She is struggling with her emotions about his return.


Chapter Two

Things Change

"Things change, and friends leave. Nothing stays the same." Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Both Grannie and Pops were waiting for Ophelia when she entered the diner. She could tell that they were waiting to hear about what happened with Peter. They thought they were so sneaky! It was cute. She couldn't believe that they knew he was back in town and hadn't told her. Or at the very least tried to call her. They were smiling, but when they saw the look on her face, their own faces fell a little bit.

Grandbull moved to the window to look for Peter.

"So, what have you been up to?" Grannie asked with a bit of mischievousness in her voice as Ophelia sat her bag on the nearest table. The diner was empty now; it wasn't quite time for the dinner rush. Ophelia pulled her light gray polo shirt from her bag and slipped it over her bikini top. She shrugged. Did she want to tell them how she felt about everything? How did she feel anyway?

On one hand, she was so incredibly happy that Peter was back. He would always have a special place in her heart. However, he left them a year ago. It's not so much that he left. A lot of people leave. He left in the middle of the night one night without saying a word to anyone. That's a secret pain that Ophelia carried with her to that very day. Maybe that was why part of her was reluctant to let him that close to her again.

"I went to the beach today," Ophelia responded as she pulled her thick, honey colored hair into a bun at the top of her head. That part of her day really wasn't that spectacular; she always went to the beach. Then, "I saw Peter today." She added that as if it was just a second thought to her. Like it didn't make her both as excited as a school girl, and as hurt as a scorned lover.

"Did you now?" They acted like they didn't know Peter had stopped by here first.

Grandbull let out a soft whine at the window. His nose was pressed against the glass causing condensation to gather around it.

"Yea." She pulled out Grandbull's poke ball. Grannie didn't like Grandbull in the diner when Ophelia was working. He tended to beg the customers for scraps of food like he was half starved or something.

Grandbull went into the ball willingly, though Ophelia knew he didn't want to.

"Is he in town long?" Grannie asked; she was always the type to pry.

Ophelia shrugged. "I don't know."

Not much more was said about Peter. A couple stumbled in. They took the table not far from where Grandbull had just been sitting. The man, who couldn't have been but a few years younger than Ophelia, had an Aipom sitting on his shoulder. Its tail wrapped around his shoulders. The man was wearing a nice button down blue shirt with slacks, and the woman was wearing a decent dress. It was the kind of dress you wear when you have some money. They obviously weren't here for the beach, which meant they were probably Pokémon trainers. Trainers often found their way to this sleepy little beach town because of the Pokémon battle competitions that they held at the community center on an almost daily basis. The competitions always drew in trainers from many different towns because they often pass out money rewards. In fact, battling for money had become quite popular in recent years. Plus, it was a mini-league all on its own.

There was going to be a competition tomorrow evening. Ophelia had signed up for it; she usually always did. People of the town liked watching her battle, or at least that's what they told her when they ran into her around town. Grandbull was a fan favorite.

The couple were chatting and laughing. As Ophelia approached them, she couldn't help but be reminded of all the times that Peter and she had sat at that very table talking and having a good time.

The Aipom let out a little squeak when she approached, and the two quieted their conversation.

"Hello, welcome," Ophelia greeted as she took their order.

Then, she slid up to the window. Alex was working the kitchen tonight. Alex was great. Since Peter left, Alex and Ophelia had gotten close. He was only a year older than Ophelia, and he was training to be a master chef. Nothing made him happier than cooking. Not to mention, he wasn't hard on the eyes.

Though, he wasn't as perfect as Peter was. He had a handsome smile, and he loved to laugh. He had dark brown eyes, rusty red hair, and skin that never seemed to tan no matter how much time he spent out in the sun. Outside of work, the two spent quite a bit of time together.

"Hey," he greeted Ophelia.

"Hi," she responded hanging up the couple's order on the wire that ran across the kitchen's window.

"Hey, I know you have the competition tomorrow morning, but I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me to the island to pick up some groceries for the diner?" Hope gleamed in his eyes.

"Yes, of course." Ophelia and Alex always went produce shopping together. There was an exceptional farmer's market on the island across from them. No one had produce like that place. Not to mention, there was the best coffee shop and book store over there.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll meet you at the docks at eight tomorrow?"

Ophelia nodded.

. . . . .

The rest of Ophelia's shift went by fast. So fast in fact that it felt like a blur. At the end of the night, she was refilling the salt and pepper shakers. She'd let Grandbull out of his pokeball as soon as the café closed. He was currently curled up under the window sleeping.

"Ophelia, do you mind finishing up closing tonight?" Pops asked. "There's a show tonight that we want to go see." It was a rare thing when her grandparents wanted to go out. The café was their baby, so they spend almost every waking minute there.

"Yea." She wiped her hands on her apron. "There's not much left to do here anyway."

"Thank you so much!" Excitement danced in his eyes, and it was contagious. Ophelia couldn't help but smile.

. . . .

The diner was quiet, peaceful place when no one was in it. Her grandparents had left thirty minutes ago, and Alex left not long after them. After she finished setting everything up for the next day, Ophelia sat down at the table closest to the window. It was the table where Peter and she used to sit together drinking hot cocoa on the cold days.

She let Grandbull out of his ball.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked as her faithful Pokémon followed her out the door. She locked it behind her, and then leaned against the wall of the building. It was just a couple minutes away from being nine.

Part of her felt giddy. The other part of her nervous.

Then, it was five minutes past nine. Ten. Twenty. Then, it was ten. Helena kept glancing at her watch.

She wasn't sure exactly at what point she realized that Peter wasn't coming, but eventually, she decided it was time to go home.

"Sometimes, people change," she told Grandbull who let out a soft whine.


End file.
